Hanser tells NPR: Companies should prepare for crisis
Obvious question: With which words do American consumers “have a beef?
A) “Lean finely textured beef?”
B) “Pink Slime?”
The answer (B) was clear when a crisis related to the beef product erupted two years ago. Now — with record-high beef prices — demand for “Lean finely textured beef” is growing.
The meat industry, including beef processors and retailers, should be ready for a new round of questions from consumers and news media; the industry must improve its message and outreach to consumers regarding how to describe products.
Nation Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” reporter Joyce Russell talked with Hanser & Associates president Ronald Hanser this week and broadcasted the story June 17. Ron, who counsels clients toward customer education and disclosure, told NPR, “If it’s about how a product is treated with a chemical, then be prepared to talk about that. The beef industry wasn’t prepared to do that in the earlier cycle. Hopefully they are much better prepared now.”
Visit http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/06/17/322911060/pink-slime-is-making-a-comeback-do-you-have-a-beef-with-that to read or listen to the full story.
Here are the basics of preparing your company for a crisis:
1) Have a crisis communication plan (your planning process should identify vulnerabilities, thus helping prevent a potential crisis from occurring)
2) When a crisis occurs, do three things: Tell the truth; tell it first; and tell it all (facts re what happened, your actions now to fix it, and your plans to prevent it from occurring again)
3) Learn from experience, improve your plan, and (always) maintain open communication with key stakeholders.
Visit http://www.hanser.com/what-we-do/advising/crisis-management/ for more insight into how to prepare for and manage your company’s potential crisis. And call our Crisis Hotline at 800-340-6434 to get Hanser & Associates expertise on your team.